Mastering Written English: Skills and Strategies
Unit 8: Written Language
Approximation, Maturing, and Improvement of the Reading-Writing Process
0. Introduction
Our current educational system establishes that learning a language has a practical objective: to be able to communicate in that language. Communicating in a language is a complex activity that implies mastering these skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Communicative competence is, therefore, acquired by being competent in the four skills. Listening and reading are receptive skills; speaking and writing are productive skills. Listening and speaking concern the oral medium, whereas reading and writing concern the written medium. Reading involves the decoding or interpretation of “graphic symbols,” whereas writing involves encoding those graphic symbols. Written skills are a complex process that requires the awareness of letters, which represent the sounds we make when we speak. Therefore, written skills should be taught step by step.
1. Written Language
1.1. Differences Between Oral and Written Language
The most obvious difference between oral and written language is the physical form: Speech uses the form of air-pressure movements, and written language uses graphs that are marks on a surface. Speech is immediate, dynamic, transitory, and interactive. Writing is static and permanent, and there is no interaction between the addresser and the addressee. Writing is permanent, and it has unique features. The grammatical structure is more correct and organized, and the ideas should be clear. Written English has a big problem: the discrepancy between the oral and the written forms.
1.2. Pedagogical Implications
Oral language is easy to acquire and should be introduced earlier. Written language is characterized by the correction of its structure. Spelling exercises are important. The graphic features of writing make it the slowest skill to acquire. It is also important to organize ideas when writing.
2. Approximation, Maturing and Improvement of the Reading-Writing Process
2.1. Learning to Read in English: The Initial Stage
Strategies include:
- Coping with English orthography.
- Developing print awareness (displays, questions written in English that can link to classroom routines, t-shirt or food labels written in English).
- Supporting reading in the initial stages (big books, designing flashcards).
2.2. Reading to Learn: The Later Stages
As pupils become more confident in reading their own language, they use reading to learn. Pupils are often introduced to and learn new vocabulary or grammar through reading, often illustrated to support the pupils’ understanding. A learning-centered approach to reading uses activities in a three-stage model: pre-, while-, and post-reading. Reading-to-learn activities that are meaning-focused are referred to as DARTS (Direct Activities Related to Texts). These include:
- Reconstruction activities: Texts are modified by the teacher so that pupils can match parts, sequence parts, predict the next part, or fill in gaps.
- Analysis activities: Pupils look for specific information to organize the text.
- Reading awareness activities: Helpful to reinforce the idea that reading is used for a variety of purposes. Examples: asking pupils to notice similarities and differences among alphabets, genres, or text types.
2.3. Learning to Write in the L1 and L2
The kinds of writing activities pupils do fall into two sets: learning to write and using the correct words and grammar. The demands activities and tasks for productive skills can be divided into two:
- Speaking: It is connected with choosing the right language.
- Writing: It is concerned with thinking and having ideas.
The preparatory stage is when the child acquires the basic mechanisms of handwriting and spelling. In the consolidation stage, the writing is still personal, colloquial, situational, and context-bound.
The Initial Stage: In the early stages, copying provides opportunities to practice handwriting, learn new vocabulary, develop confidence in English spelling, and practice simple sentences.
English Spelling: It is difficult for young children to learn. There are four main ways in which children learn the spelling of words: visual, auditory, linguistic, and kinesthetic. However, it is important to remember that a multi-sensory approach is the best method for all young learners. There are many spelling games: hide-and-seek, noughts and crosses, hangman.
Guidelines for a Supportive Writing Classroom:
- Develop an awareness of environmental print.
- Have special letter days.
- Create a post office.
- Use personal picture dictionaries with unknown words.
- Ensure the decoration of the classroom has many examples of English writing.
Writing in the Later Stages: Writing should be encouraged to produce writing for a specific context and audience. It is important for teachers to create many opportunities to do so. Teachers must also bear in mind that pupils must be able to produce their ideas in spoken English before they are asked to write sentences. Activities include:
- Personal activities: Diaries, shopping lists, reminders, recipes.
- Social writing: Thank you letters, invitations, congratulations, text messages, or instructions.
3. Reading Comprehension
3.1. The Reading Skill
It is a receptive skill; it is a complex active process in which the meaning of graphs should be decoded. Reading objectives can be: fluent reading (aloud and silently), reinforcement of other oral skills, and acquisition of vocabulary. The students, therefore, have to develop some reading strategies:
- Skimming (obtaining the general idea of the text).
- Scanning (locating specific information).
- Understanding in detail.
- Deducing, predicting, and recognizing function and discourse patterns.
Our job as teachers is to reactivate these skills, which learners have in their own language but which are less effective when they face English.
3.2. Reading Material
It can be texts adapted to the learner’s age, level of English, and interests, such as stories, letters, advertisements, maps, and charts. Teachers can use authentic and non-authentic materials. Success in understanding is essential for the students’ motivation, so teachers should carefully select those materials.
3.3. Reading Stages
- Pre-reading Stage: This consists of motivating the students by relating the topic to their personal experiences. Activities: identify the topic, predict information, and answer general questions.
- While-reading Stage: This consists of giving the students a purpose to achieve. For example: getting the general idea of the text (extensive reading: skimming) or searching for specific information (intensive reading: scanning). It is also important to practice word recognition through associating the visual form with the word.
- After-reading Stage: The main objective is to provide practice of the language. These activities involve integrated skills: answering comprehension questions, summarizing, discussing the topic, and writing a similar text.
4. Writing: From the Interpretation to the Production of Texts
4.1. The Writing Skill
The aim in written production is communicative. Writing is the most difficult of the four skills because, in English, there is a disagreement between the phonetic and the written levels. On the other hand, the main advantage is that you have time to write, and you can do it at your own pace, as well as rectify what you have written. Developing writing skills should move from the spelling level to more complex tasks that involve students in the production of guided and free texts.
Strategies:
- Writing words and elementary linguistic forms correctly (grammatical competence).
- Writing appropriately according to the context (sociolinguistic competence).
- Writing with coherence (discourse competence).
4.2. Writing Material
Current English language teaching takes into account real-world writing. Teachers should bear in mind the students’ age and interest in writing. Activities: lists, addresses, diaries, recipes, notes, seasonal greetings, instructions, letters, songs, games, and jokes.
4.3. Writing Stages
The student should be able to communicate ideas, feelings, and so on in writing. This objective bears the following implications:
- It is a dynamic process.
- There must be a reason for writing.
- The topic should focus on the students’ age and interests.
- The other skills should be integrated.
- The students should be involved in the correction of their written work.
Not only must we teach the learner to write words properly, but also to write their ideas with coherence. The stages to follow when teaching writing are:
- Copying (crosswords, hangman, listing words).
- Controlled practice (parallel writing, dictations, reading comprehension, consolidating grammar, sentence-linking activities, translating).
- Free production (communicative activities: writing messages, describing pictures, summarizing, filling in forms, writing for fun, guided composition, project work).
4.4. Correcting Written Work
Writing is a dynamic process and, as such, is subject to revision, correction, and change. It is important to decide if it is a mistake or an error when we see something wrong. Errors must be seen as positive evidence of the learning process. Steps:
- Correction procedure indicating mistakes so that the students can correct them.
- Remedial strategies: explain the mistake, set written exercises.
5. Conclusion
Communicative language teaching has influenced current methodological principles, which is the case with the current educational law in Spain. Today, learning a language has a practical value, which is learning to use that language. Written language teaching must be, therefore, approached from a communicative point of view. The students should be able to write correct linguistic forms, according to their level of competence, and to express ideas, feelings, etc., in appropriate situations.